BY GWEN HAYES
Sentinel Editor
Attorney Fred McClure, Office Managing Partner and National Diversity and Inclusion Partner at DLA Piper, is pleased that the Leadership Institute for Women Of Color Attorneys, Inc. (LIWOCA) chose Tampa for their 8th Annual Conference.
As a matter of fact, Atty. McClure, one of a limited number of men on the organization’s Board of Directors, suggested to the Atlanta, GA-based organization that in order to grow they’d have to move around. They did, taking their conference to Washington, DC and now in Tampa.
The conference will be held March 27 and 28th at the Marriott Waterside. The reception will be held on Wednesday, and the one-day conference will be held on Thursday.
Part of the conference is the Student Program, which will take place on Wednesday, 2-5 p. m. Students registration for this program is free, while students will pay $20 for the full conference.
The goal of the institute is to “help women of color attorneys hone skills and build relationships to move forward in law and in business,” states Atty. McClure.
He further stated, “There are more women in law school and more women in law firms (than men), but women of color are underrepresented in businesses and law firms.
“When it comes to partners, the numbers drop off drastically. It may be because of family obligations or the firm not adjusting, but women of color don’t get the same opportunities.”
More than 200 women of color lawyers are expected in Tampa. LIWOCA will award $15,000 in scholarships to 5 law students, bringing their total amount of grants to $120,000.
Keynote speakers will be: Scholarship Luncheon, Anna-Lisa Corrales, Esquire, General Counsel and Secretary, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC; Networking Reception, Phyllis P. Harris, Senior VP and Chief Compliance Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; “A Conversation With,” Teresa Wynn Roseborough, Executive VP General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, The Home Depot; and Allegra J. Lawrence-Hardy, Partner, Sutherland
Local persons expected to have a part in the conference are: Dr. Sharon Andrews (pictured), who will participate in a session on “Waiting To Exhale,” to deal with stress; the Honorable Judge Mary Scriven, Federal District Court, Middle District of Florida; Dawn Siler-Nixon, Esquire; Joanna Garcia, Esq.; Guilene F. Theodore, Partner, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC; Donna Leffel, YMCA; the Honorable Doris Jenkins; Barbara Twine-Thomas, Esq.; Joann Grages, Esq., Stetson University; and Laura Zuppo, Stetson University College of Law Dean of Admissions.
